Looking for that perfect game - Black Powder Red Earth (BPRE)

Yeah, it's a fool's errand, I know, but with the volume of games being released during recent years, I really feel like it's only a matter of time before something great hits the tables.

During the course of this year, I was fortunate enough to discover Black Powder Red Earth (BPRE). As a game, it really caught my imagination and sparked of a whole series of projects and (equally as importantly) gaming sessions. I built three whole terrain sets for the game, prepared my own game cards, and painted up two dozen miniatures to boot. I absolutely love it when I stumble upon a catalyst for hobby goodness like that!

You might not be aware, that before the game are a series of graphic novels set in the same universe. They're high-quality productions and include a really distinctive style.

My friends were encouraging too; however, everyone has their own preferences, and as such not everyone was quite as enthused as me. So, while I got heaps of gaming time in, my friends had their own projects and their interest in BPRE waned. Don't get me wrong, they all enjoyed the game, it was just that they were looking for a similar buzz as I quite evidently had with BPRE.

What was it about BPRE that I liked? 

Actually, BPRE includes several features that collectively made for a great gaming experience.

Firstly, the game is very much self-contained

There were numerous preconfigured maps and scenarios which meant that I didn't have to spend time preparing for a game - I could go from go to gaming in a matter of 5 minutes. Many other games include scenarios, but few have or can afford to specify exactly what terrain pieces are required and how they're to be employed. More than one friend likened it to a Board Game on account of how quickly it all came together. 

I feel that the 'sameness' of the standard scenarios, employing my collection of 6? buildings and dozen or more pieces of scatter likely became somewhat stale to some of my friends - I did the building, organised the games etc, so that's to be expected. I personally wasn't that concerned - I have played many games with a static board and enjoyed myself. Chess anyone ♛

I went to the trouble* of making my own cards and card boxes. The game comes with them of course, however the tyranny of distance and exchange rates meant that buying it just wasn't going to work out for me.

The action resolution mechanics are dead-easy

Resolve a fire-type action, most of the time it's simply a case of comparing the sum of 2d10 to a target number. If the target is obscured, then the target number is a little higher. Upon being hit, most units can make a save roll. Most saves are going to be unsuccessful; a few are going to leave a model Staggered; and only the luckiest of units are going to shake it off with no ill effect.

The are hardly any modifiers/maths to complicate matters - I don't know about you, but I find the whole plus-2 for this, minus-1 for that, and plus-3 for something isn't something that I enjoy doing while playing a game.

You can see some of my minis in place here on the terrain I made from scratch. The buildings' interiors and windows are a really important when it comes to game play.

Staggered units aren't able to do anything proactively unit the end of the game Turn and are more susceptible to fire - if they're hit, they're dead - no save, no second chance.

The turn and phase sequences are clever

A game Turn consists of several Phases with alternating activation of each factions' units - that's unit-by-unit, not side-by-side. Without going deep into the details, each unit can only be activated once per turn. With that in mind, there are some hard decisions to be made.

The first Phase is direct/aimed fire, where Units aren't allowed to reposition, but benefit from a targeting bonus and their target cannot return fire.

The second Phase involves manoeuvring aka run-and-gun. This typically involves a Unit making a movement action and shooting action. It's worth noting that unlike a lot of games, shooting can occur at any time during the movement and doesn't end the movement. That means a unit can duck around a corner, crack a shot, then jump back into cover. Importantly, enemies can react to targets of opportunity - that's all enemies. When taking a 'reaction shot', a unit's accuracy is degraded, so it's a calculated risk.

The final Phase involves close assaults. Units within close proximity to each other can perform a further fire action provided they can establish line-of-sight.

This gives you a good impression as to just how compact the game is when played. You can see the various cards around the table? TBH the rulebook isn't even required after a few games. Basically, everything that's needed is on hand which means more gaming, less reading!

The sequencing of the above is all complicated? enhanced? by the designation of an Attacking and Defending Faction. The Attackers always get the initiative in each Phase and during most scenarios, the Attackers are the more elite force with fewer bodies on the ground. So typically, the Attackers get to dictate the pace and the direction of the engagement but the Defenders, with more troops, can play a clever, reactive game. Elites bleed too!

Some of my gaming friends found the sequencing a little difficult to get the hang of initially, however once they had a game under their belt, they quickly started to appreciate the tactical and strategic opportunities at play.

There are just the right number of 'extras'

Us wargamers all love options: more and more and more! And game designers also have a vested interest in keeping their games interesting and fresh. One of the easiest ways to do that is introduce more options into the game. Why have one type of special forces dude when you can have five flavours of the same, right?

BPRE's base game only has a handful of unit options per Faction. Each of the Faction's Units fill distinct roles e.g., fire support, team leader, assaulter etc. Each unit has a point cost and few if any 'options' - you get what you get and don't get upset.

These minis were amongst my favourite paint jobs for the year. I use them as a the bulk of my non-elite Aayari force.

With only a total of eight different types of units in the game, you might think that would make for very limited gameplay. However, I found otherwise: with fewer units comes more focused play, where you're able to focus upon the game at hand rather than generating that 'perfect list'. In the heat of battle, things go wrong, forcing you to adapt to the here-and-now. I love it when a game hooks, rather than demands, my attention.

Setup and play are super-fast

The game includes several decks of cards that are used to generate a map layout, employing a collection of standardised terrain - about six buildings and a dozen pieces of scatter like cards and planter boxes. Getting a game started is as simple as drawing a Battlespace Card, laying out the terrain, drawing a Mission, that designates deployment, roles (Attacker-Defender), and environmental effects (e.g., sandstorms). I found I could get a game up and running in 10-minutes.

The game play tracks well too. I always appreciate skirmish-style game play and BPRE really delivers on that. The Attacker (typically elite "Scorch" operatives) typically field 4-7 units while the Defender ("Aayari") generally fields about double that. Movement distances are 6" for all but one unit, crossing or "surmounting" tricky terrain involves a test that, if failed, leaves a unit Staggered, and for the most part there's no measuring ranges.

One thing that we've found essential is a laser line marker: that really helps the quick determination of line-of-sight. It also makes for some extra immersion, you know what with special operatives using laser targeting and whatnot.

Final thoughts

If you get a chance, give BPRE a try. I think you'll find it distinctive and enjoyable. If the bug really bites, there are two expansion releases after the base game that include lots of extras that I could see keeping a gang of gamers happy for a good long while. BPRE is definitely a strong recommendation.